Long Beach State, in first place with a 4-0 Big West record, hosts UC Davis (ESPNU) and Pacific (FSN Prime Ticket) in a pair of televised games this week.

NOTEWORTHY
KEEP AN EYE ON

Isiah Umipig, Cal State Fullerton
The freshman notched a career-high 19 points against both UC Irvine and UC Riverside last week. He stepped into the starting point guard role in Saturday’s overtime win against the Highlanders with regular starter Perry Webster sidelined due to a concussion. Umipig made 7 of 12 shots, including 3 of 6 from three-point range, against the Highlanders in 30 minutes. In 19 reserve minutes against the Anteaters, he hit 6 of 8 from the floor and all six of his free throw attempts.
MORE NOTABLES
Long Beach State Moves To 4-0 In Big West Play
Long Beach State remained undefeated in league action after defeating Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine at home last week. The 49ers improved to 4-0 in the Big West and put their season-best four-game winning streak to the test against UC Davis and Pacific this week. The win streak coincides with the return of junior guard Larry Anderson, who is playing at the same first-team all-conference level he achieved as a freshman in 2008-09. Anderson is shooting 73.8% (31 of 42) in LBSU’s four conference wins.

49ers With Two Tube Appearances
The recent Long Beach State hot streak coincides perfectly with a pair of television appearances this week. The 49ers look for their first five-game win streak since the 2008-09 season, hosting UC Davis in 8:00 p.m. Wednesday tilt on ESPNU. LBSU returns to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday to battle Pacific in an 8:00 p.m. game on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
Eveland Returns Buzzer Beater Favor
Pacific avenged a buzzer beating nightmare and made UC Santa Barbara an unsuspecting victim of its frustration. On Dec. 30, the Tigers watched Cal State Fullerton’s Devon Peltier hit a game-winning three-pointer with four-tenths of a second remaining to give the Titans a 54-51 win. Fast forward to Saturday’s game against defending Big West champion UC Santa Barbara, the Tigers with the ball and the game tied at 54-54. Senior Pat Eveland launched a 23-footer that swished through the net at the buzzer to deliver a three-point victory for Pacific.

Payne Close To Aggie Milestone, Health Permitting
UC Davis senior Mark Payne is seven rebounds away from becoming the first player in school history to amass career totals of 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. Payne enters the week with 1,147 points, 493 rebounds and 405 assists. He is the Big West active career leader in points and assists. Payne missed two games last week with an ankle injury sustained in a Dec. 30 game at Cal State Northridge. His status for Wednesday’s game at Long Beach State is undetermined.

Willard In Top Three For Double-Doubles
Pacific’s Sam Willard is tied for No. 3 in the nation with 11 double-doubles, according to the latest NCAA stats released on Monday. The senior has recorded a double-double in all but five games. He scored a season-low seven points but corraled 14 rebounds against Cal Poly last Thursday. The 14 boards represented his 12th game with double-digit rebounds this season.
NCAA LEADERS IN DOUBLE-DOUBLESName, School Gms Dbl Dbl
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State 17 15
Jordan Williams, Maryland 15 13
Ryan Rossiter, Siena 15 11
Sam Willard, Pacific 16 11
Arsalan Kazemi, Rice 16 11
Keith Benson, Oakland 19 11

Honda Center New Home Of Tournament
Honda Center last November announced a five-year partnership with the Big West Conference to host its annual men’s and women’s post-season basketball tournament beginning in 2011. Each year the winner of the three-day single-elimination playoff receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Big West and Honda Center have teamed up for “March Madness” and “The Road To The Final Four” on numerous occasions including men’s basketball regionals in 1998, 2001 and 2003 and first and second round action in 2008. In addition, the Big West and Honda Center was selected as host of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball West Regional.

The Big West Tournament is the oldest NCAA Division I post-season basketball tournament in the west, dating back to 1976 when the conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.

Lewis Reaches 1,000-Point Milestone
Cal Poly senior Shawn Lewis became the 16th Mustang to score 1,000 points in his career, reaching the milestone in his team’s 43-39 win at Pacific on Thursday with a team-best 11 points. Lewis hit the 11-point mark again two nights later against UC Davis, giving him 1,012 career points.

Robinson Nearing Elite Company
Junior T.J. Robinson grabbed 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win against UC Davis, moving him into a tie for third in the Long Beach State career record book with 690 boards. He is just 10 caroms away from becoming only the third player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 700 rebounds. Former 49ers Francois Wise (1,305 points, 896 rebounds) and Michael Wiley (1,962 points, 788 rebounds) have accomplished the feat.

Mr. Consistency
Lenny Daniel is doing his best to lead by example for a struggling Cal State Northridge team that has lost five of its last six games. Daniel scored a team-high 27 points at Seattle to secure his 11th straight game in double digits. He has notched a double-double in five of his last seven games. In that seven game span, Daniel also has connected at a 62.5% (55 of 88) clip from the field.

Moore’s Streak At 14
UC Irvine’s Darren Moore extended his consecutive streak of scoring in double figures to 14 games when he scored 23 points at Long Beach State on Saturday. It was Moore’s fourth 20-point effort this season. The senior guard is averaging 16.7 points per game to rank fourth in the Big West in scoring. He is also fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.506).

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